What is your current role?
Assistant Professor of journalism and creative writing at Bond University, and freelance journalist whenever I can.
How did you get involved in journalism?
It was a good fit because I was always relentlessly curious; I loved talking to people and was always amazed that you could knock on people’s doors and ask them all kinds of questions.
What professional achievement are you most proud of?
Kylie Stevenson, Eric George and I won a Walkley Award for the Lost in Larrimah podcast series, which is hard to top! But there are moments of pride in even the smallest stories, when people come back to tell me I captured something they recognise and appreciate in my storytelling. As a lecturer, watching an aspiring journalist get their first byline or a dream job or an award is so exciting.
What is one of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered?
I find it a constant struggle to find the headspace to do a story justice, so I can only imagine how challenging it is for colleagues in daily newsrooms.
Who has influenced and mentored you?
I’ve had so many mentors – in journalism, creative writing and academia. Special shout-outs to Jane Johnson, Mike Grenby, Mark Pearson, Tara Goedjen, Shady Cosgrove, Chrissy Howe, Matthew Ricketson, Bianca Clare, Owen Jacques, Rick Morton, the Daily Mercury, Eric George, Gemma Jones and Kylie Stevenson.
What is something no-one knows about you?
I’m a writer. I feel like I’m liberal with my secrets – anything that doesn’t make it into my non-fiction washes up in my fiction.
How do you wind down of an evening?
A glass of wine. A podcast. And a nice recipe, ideally one with lots of chopping.
What are you reading at the moment?
I just finished Curtis Sittenfeld’s Rodham and now I’m working through Pip Williams’ The Dictionary of Lost Words.
What does the immediate future hold?
Kylie and I are finalising the book for publication, then I have a longform fiction project that I’d like to get back to, and a few more podcast ideas.
Describe a perfect day in your role?
It would start with a morning walk and an ocean swim, then reading, writing or research over coffee. I’d teach a few classes – the best classes feel like a particular kind of magic – then I’d have time to write a little more. There would never be any marking. And there would always be an episode of a great long-form documentary podcast series waiting for me, ready to hit play while I make dinner.
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